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A few years ago, my sons' teachers dealt with the holidays in such a sane, considerate manner. They simply asked their little kids to write a paper about how they celebrate the holidays. Without embarrassing anyone, they figured out the religious leanings of their class.

Upon learning her entire class celebrated Christmas, one teacher put together a program with all Christmas Carols. The rooms was decorated with kids" art work of Nativity scenes and snowmen. None of the parents complained, because they were also all Christan.

Anther teacher learned she had a few Jewish kids, so she encouraged the entire class to verbally share their holiday traditions with their friends. The kids sang mostly Christian songs, but included a few Jewish songs. Again, both kids and parents were happy.

None of these teachers ever recognized Kwanzaa, because they never found that any of their students celebrated it. Most of the black kids preferred Christmas. The danger comes from trying to force one standard across an entire nation. These things should be decided locally. Even better, they should be decided at the classroom level.